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Right-hander Gerrit Cole decided Monday to remain with the New York Yankees on the four-year, $144 million contract he opted out of Saturday, the team confirmed late in the day.

Originally, the only way Cole would remain a Yankee without reaching free agency was if the club voided his opt-out with a one-year, $36 million extension to his contract, making it a five-year, $180 million deal. The Yankees declined to do so, however, but they came to an agreement for Cole to remain in New York anyway, as if he had not triggered the opt-out in the first place.

“It was something at the moment we weren’t necessarily comfortable doing, but we wanted our player and our ace back, and he certainly didn’t want to go either at the same time,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said at the general managers meetings in Texas on Monday. “And so we had a lot of healthy dialogue about trying to just thread the needle and just keep it in play.”

The two sides originally had until Sunday to decide Cole’s fate, but they extended the deadline to Monday at 5 p.m. ET because the conversations were ongoing. Though the Yankees would love to have Cole finish his career in New York, Cashman indicated there are no current discussions on a potential contract extension, citing the timing of the end of the World Series as having played a part in the saga.

“Was a 48-hour window, very small,” Cashman said. “It feels like he legitimately just got off the mound and we were in our discussions. We were wrestling with it [the decision] and sharing that [with Cole]. And at the same time, there is an opportunity that arose that Gerrit didn’t want to go anywhere either.”

Cashman was asked if the team had won a game of chicken with Cole and his representatives.

“No, I don’t look at it as anything other than more conversations we’re having after the opt-out than probably should have happened before the opt-out,” he answered. “And so I think it’s easier to try to understand and find common ground with each other when you’re having the conversations versus a contractual right you exercise and now the other side has to do things instead.”

In other words, the Yankees didn’t feel comfortable with making a fast decision right after the World Series and were ready to let Cole walk but instead offered to kick the discussions down the road.

Cashman had a layover in Charlotte on the way to San Antonio on Monday afternoon, realizing then that the sides were in a good place.

“It felt like we were going to be in a safe harbor where we were both willing to move forward with the four years that was in play and continue obviously to have conversations,” Cashman said. “But there’s no pressure point with any conversations. We’re always open to talk about future years, but right now we don’t have to because it’s a four-year locked-in commitment, and it’s on to our next focus.”

A six-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Cole fulfilled his boyhood dream of joining the Yankees before the COVID-shortened 2020 season on what was, at the time, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher: nine years, $324 million. He became the workhorse ace New York envisioned, posting a 3.08 ERA in 108 starts over the next four seasons, and peaked in 2023, when he went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA across 209 innings in 33 starts to win his first Cy Young Award. A repeat performance, however, was doomed from the start.

Cole was shut down in mid-March with nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow. He avoided surgery but began the season on the injured list. He made three rehab starts before making his season debut June 19 against the Baltimore Orioles. Initially not built up to his usual pitch count, Cole didn’t record an out in the sixth inning in his first four outings.

But the Yankees’ measured plan for Cole paid dividends. The right-hander ultimately logged at least six innings in eight of his 17 starts, posting a 3.41 ERA across 95 innings. He had his occasional blow-up — he surrendered 11 runs in two starts against the Boston Red Sox and 12 runs to the New York Mets in two outings — but was otherwise stingy, allowing two or fewer runs in 10 of his starts. He delivered his best performance in Oakland, holding the A’s to one run over nine innings Sept. 20.

Cole added another five starts in the postseason, pitching to a 2.17 ERA over 29 innings. He limited the Kansas City Royals to one run in seven innings in the Yankees’ American League Division Series-clinching Game 4 win. The Dodgers mustered just one run in six innings against him in Game 1 of the World Series, although the Yankees lost in extra innings.

His final start of the season in Game 5, however, will haunt the Yankees: After four hitless innings, three Yankees defensive miscues in the fifth — including Cole not covering first base on a routine ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo with two outs — allowed the Dodgers to tie the score with five unearned runs in their eventual 7-6 win.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Cole with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA. He made his major league debut in 2013 and made one All-Star team for Pittsburgh. It wasn’t until he was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2017 season that he became a consistent ace, recording two 200-plus-inning seasons with a 2.68 ERA before hitting free agency and signing with the Yankees in December 2019.

“I think he’s happy where he’s at,” Cashman said. “I think he likes our setup. I think he likes playing for who he’s playing for and working for. And I think he likes his teammates, and I think he thinks we have a legitimate chance to win. And sometimes the grass isn’t always greener, and so that goes for us, too. I know we’d prefer not to be trying to look to how we’re going to replace our ace.”

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

MILWAUKEE — Shohei Ohtani greeted Jacob Misiorowski with a leadoff homer, but the Milwaukee Brewers‘ rookie phenom got the last word.

After giving up Ohtani’s 431-foot blast, Misiorowski responded with another dominant outing. He struck out a career-high 12 batters — including two-way superstar Ohtani in the third inning — to lead the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” Misiorowski said. “You kind of expect [that]. It’s cool to see him do it in action, but it fires me up even more coming back the next at-bat and striking him out. I’m right there. I think it was a moment of like, ‘OK, now we go.'”

Misiorowski, whose fastball routinely tops 100 mph, threw an 88.2 mph curveball on an 0-2 count to Ohtani, who crushed it for his 31st homer. That’s the most by a Dodgers player before the All-Star break.

It was the 21st career leadoff homer for the three-time MVP, who struck out swinging on a curveball in the third and walked to start the sixth. That was the only walk given up by Misiorowski, who scattered four hits.

“Really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”

Misiorowski outdueled three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts in his previous outing. Asked Monday about his matchup with Misiorowski, Kershaw said he only knew that the 6-foot-7 right-hander threw hard.

“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said Tuesday. “That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. Everything. Obviously the velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball. I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”

Misiorowski was glad to get Kershaw’s attention.

“I saw something online that he didn’t now who I was, so I hope he knows me now,” Misiorowski said. “It’s kind of cool.”

In five starts since the Brewers called him up from the minors, Misiorowski has already beaten Kershaw and 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. In another outing, Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning.

“He’s just broken the shell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He’s still got gooey stuff coming off, you can see it, all arms and legs, but there’s something special about him.”

The numbers would indicate as much. Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA and has given up only 12 hits in 25⅔ innings.

He topped out at 101.6 mph and threw 20 pitches of at least 100 on Tuesday. He also threw 19 curveballs after using curves only 10% of the time before Tuesday.

He was coming off his only shaky performance, giving up five runs — including a grand slam by Brandon Nimmo — and three walks over 3⅔ innings Wednesday in a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

It looked as if it might be more of the same after Ohtani went deep. Misiorowski responded by striking out 12 of the next 16 batters.

“I think that’s my job, is to figure it out on the fly,” he said. “I feel like I did it tonight.”

He got out of a jam in the sixth. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 and had runners on second and third with one out, but third baseman Andruw Monasterio fielded a grounder and threw out Ohtani at the plate, and Misiorowski retired Michael Conforto on a grounder.

Misiorowski pumped his fist as he headed toward the dugout, then watched the Brewers’ bullpen nail down the win.

“It’s so satisfying,” Misiorowski said. “It’s just a dream come true, to do what I did.”

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Giants walk off on Bailey’s inside-the-park homer

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Giants walk off on Bailey's inside-the-park homer

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run, joining the Chicago Cubs’ Pat Moran in 1907 and the Washington Nationals’ Bennie Tate in 1926.

Bailey’s homer would have been an outside-the-park home run in 29 of 30 ballparks, with Oracle Park being the exception.

Mike Yastrzemski reached base twice and scored to help the Giants to their sixth win in seven games.

Casey Schmitt began the rally with a leadoff double. After Jung Hoo Lee popped out, Wilmer Flores lined a single to center.

Bailey, who grounded into a double play and struck out in two of his previous at-bats, then smashed a 1-0 fastball from Jordan Romano (1-4) into right-center field that ricocheted off the brick part of the wall.

Ryan Walker (2-3) retired one batter, with two on in the top of the ninth, to earn the win.

Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber had two hits, including his team-leading 28th home run.

Schwarber flew out, struck out and was hit by a pitch before homering off Giants reliever Spencer Bivens into McCovey Cove. Brandon Marsh, who singled as a pinch hitter leading off the inning, scored on the play.

Two days after being named an All-Star for the second time in his career, Robbie Ray gave up four hits and one run in 5⅔ innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Mendoza: Snubbed Soto ‘an All-Star for us’

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Mets' Mendoza: Snubbed Soto 'an All-Star for us'

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets consider Juan Soto to be a bona fide All-Star, despite the snub he received from those who selected the National League squad for the Midsummer Classic on July 15.

Soto, in his first year with the Mets, has performed well enough to earn the respect of his manager and teammates. In their opinion, he’s deserving of a place in the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

“He’s an All-Star for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday night after the Mets beat Baltimore 7-6. “It’s frustrating, but I’m hoping in the next couple of days we hear something and he makes it.”

Soto drove in the winning run with a sharp single on the first pitch of the 10th inning. That capped a night in which he went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .269 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs.

Soto has walked 72 times, by far the most in the majors, but he can also lash out at a pitcher when necessary.

“He’s got a pretty good understanding of what the pitchers are trying to do to him,” Mendoza said. “There is his awareness of the game, he’s going to see pitchers. There are times when he’s going to be aggressive. Tonight was one of those nights. First pitch in the 10th, he’s attacking.”

Soto made the All-Star team as a member of the Nationals, Padres and Yankees each year since 2021. The streak appears to be over. But his teammates believe he deserves to go.

“What he done all year is just incredible, and the results are good enough,” Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes said. “The consistency he’s showed up with, at the at-bats he’s taken, is more than an All-Star. He’s one of the best in the game and a big part of our lineup.”

Soto seems rather philosophical about the snub.

“Sometimes, you’re going to make it and sometimes you don’t,” he told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Yankees. “It’s just part of baseball.”

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